Replacing inefficient motors could save $375 billion globally

By optimising them and making them more efficient, the world could save more than 1350 TWh of electricity, which is around seven percent of electricity consumption worldwide.Debjoy Sengupta | ET Bureau | October 28, 2016, 16:54 IST

KOLKATA: Optimisation of energy consumption of electric motors, pumps, ventilations and compressor systems could globally save $375 billion of fresh investment in power generation capacities, the Energy Research Centre of Netherlands has estimated.

According to them, 45 per cent of all electricity in the world is used for running such equipment and these motors and systems are often outdated and energy-inefficient. If all these equipment are optimised it would save 1,350 tera watt hours of electricity and would make construction of 200 new coal-fired power plants unnecessary.

By optimising them and making them more efficient, the world could save more than 1350 TWh of electricity, which is around seven percent of electricity consumption worldwide.

Researcher Jeffrey Sipma of ECN said: “We were as surprised as everyone else to discover that such a large proportion of global electricity consumption can be attributed to electric motors. More than 2.5 times as much electricity is used for electric motors and electrically driven systems than for lighting”.

“There is a huge potential here for cost-effective and technically relatively simple energy-saving measures,” he said.

In light of the Paris climate deal, ECN sees plenty of opportunities for countries to achieve a considerable proportion of their sustainability goals by making electric motors more energy efficient.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), developing countries are in the best position to profit from this. UNEP has set up a task force to explore this, of which ECN is a member.

ECN is helping governments worldwide to design and implement road maps to optimise electric motors and electrically powered systems and make them more efficient. Their focus is the industrial sector, but there is also a considerable potential for energy savings in the commercial sector.

Since systems used in these sectors are typically long-lived and the motors are often rewound, many of the electric motors used all around the world have become outdated.

Enormous savings can be achieved with relatively simple measures. To start with, the older motors need to be replaced with more modern and efficient versions. This would reduce power consumption by a large percentage.

More major savings can be achieved by installing variable speed drives in pumps, compressors and ventilation systems, which could reduce consumption by 15 per cent to 40 per cent. Depending on the process being powered, this could also increase production capacity at the same time.

Additional savings can be made by repairing leaks, implementing a motor management system, replacing pumps or ventilators, or making various other technical and organisational improvements. ECN uses various checklists to assess which measures are suitable.

The actual energy savings will always vary depending on the situation, but it can be predicted quite accurately with an energy audit. On average, reductions of 20 per cent are expected for industrial systems and 15 per cent for services.

Simpa said: “We start with a road map. We identify the major industries that consume the most power and then make a list of priorities. We then get together with the national government to establish targets. We analyse the systems involved and at the same time try to raise awareness among the businesses themselves.”

“We also provide governments with advice on how to quantify, establish, manage, stimulate and finance the entire process.”

ECN has calculated that if all applicable systems in the world were optimised tomorrow, this would save 1350 terawatt hours of power the next year. This would mean that 17 per cent less coal-fired capacity would be required, so some 200 new plants would not have to be built. This would save around $375 billion in investments.

ECN says that this will be a lengthy transformation process but there has already been successes. For example, one pharmaceutical company reduced the electricity consumption of its cooling water systems by 4 per cent, amounting to annual cost savings of $80,000, so that the investment was recouped within two years.

A petrochemicals company installed 34 variable speed drives and reduced its electricity consumption by 28 per cent. This investment was recouped in just 5 months.

A textiles factory reduced its electricity consumption by 59 per cent by installing 15 variable speed drives for their ventilation systems and recouped this investment in just over a year.